Chris Bowes and his pirate barmy army are back with Alestorm’s 3rd album the insanely great Back Through Time, which although is downright strange it still is fucking killer! Back Through Time is quite heavier and faster compared to Alestorm’s previous efforts and it’s this mix of catchy riffs, pirate lyrical banter and mad keyboard skills that put’s this album on poll position to be called Alestorm’s greatest album to date. So pick up your bottle of ‘Rum’, mind out for the ‘Death Throes of the Terrorsquid’, and try not to get ‘Shipwrecked’ on the amazing journey Back Through Time.

These Pirate Metal heads really put the P in Pirate using all of their knowledge on the topic to the best of their ability, singing about: Canons, Cutlasses and Crustaceans over; shredding guitar riffs, and keyboard grooves. Sure, some of the songs on this album such as ‘Rum’ where the chorus is basically just:

“Rum, Rum, Rum, Yaarr, Rum, Rum, Ahoy. Rum, Rum, Rum, Yaarr, Rum, Rum, Give me more Rum!
Rum, Rum, Rum, Yaarr, Rum, Rum, Ahoy. Rum, Rum, Rum, Yaarr, Rum, Rum, Give me more Rum!” Yes, it’s as simple as one plus one, but it sounds fucking awesome when hundreds of people are singing along to it live while swinging beer glasses in the air.

All the dudes in Alestorm are really talented musicians and album by album have improved and improved their playing technique. The guitar parts in every song are crushingly heavy, the bass riffs are groovy and destined to be head banged to, the blast beating drums sound like the Black Pearls cannons blasting your ear drums to smithereens and finally the keyboard and vocals are as crazy as a motherfucker on speed! Eleven tracks of pure pirate inspired thrash metal, played in such a brilliant way is the future of metal, and Alestorm do it better than most bands in the metal business going now.

Let’s talk about ‘Shipwrecked’ now. The song by itself is amazing, but when you watch the video the band has recorded, you will laugh your ass of seven times and then still have time to shit your pants at its quirky story line. When Alestorm get shipwrecked on a desert island and come into contact with some drunken hooligans, a few bonny lasses and a midget playing a Violin, they decide not to take a downer on their departure with their crew, and have a fucking blast in paradise. Yes, I know what you’re thinking.... Weird right.

Alestorm may be seen as a gimmick. But this gimmick will never grow old and Alestorm will forever sail the seven seas of metal releasing amazing heavy metal! [9]